Fondness
by Puckulence
Summary: While Link is traveling across Hyrule, he ponders why exactly he is risking his life. Oneshot. ZeLink.


A/N: My first Zelda fic. Nothing too special, but it was on my mind during my second run through of Ocarina of Time. I hope it's thoroughly enjoyed. Forgive me, for I don't think there were any moblins in Ocarina of Time, but since the creatures in OoT are all from the original Zelda, I felt it was okay to put them in there.

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><p>"Hey! Listen!"<p>

At the sound of the all too-familiar voice, as irritating as the crow of a cuckoo and twice as shrill, Link's eyelids began to creak open, heavy from sleep. The sight that greeted his eyes were large, green oak leaves towering overhead; he had fallen asleep splayed beneath an oak tree in Hyrule field. He shook his head and rubbed the sleep from his eyes with the heels of his hands before stretching and yawning. His muscles were stiff from slumbering on the hard ground; his tunic was damp from the dew that clung gently to the grass he laid in. Link clumsily pulled himself into a sitting position, fighting early morning fatigue, and averted his eyes to the sky to predict the time.

The rolling hills of Hyrule were swathed in morning twilight; the sky itself was cloudy and bluish-grey, awkwardly paused between nighttime and sunrise, and it's light bathed the land with eerie, lifeless color. As he sat there, Link began to see the sky lighten, signaling dawn wasn't far away. While admiring the quiet and the stillness of such a morning, watching the tall grass whip in the gentle breeze that seemed to constantly roll through Hyrule, something very bright and very blue flew in front of his face, directly between his eyes.

Link crossed his eyes to stare at the glowing orb, who responded by chirping, "Link! Come on! Hurry!" Navi the fairy fluttered her wings rapidly and began to bounce up and down in front of him.

With a heavy sigh, Link nodded at Navi, who ceased her erratic flying to hover close to his face. Slowly, he stood and stretched once more then reached for his brown boots that were sitting at the trunk of the tree. He tugged them on before safely equipping his sword and shield. Ready to leave, Link look around for Epona; he found the mare standing close by, nose poking around in the grass. Link crossed over to her and ran a hand affectionately through her mane before hoisting himself onto her back. She raised her head, and he gently nudged her sides with his heels to get her to trot. With a deeper digging of his heels, Epona set off into a steady run.

The morning wind rushing past his face and the urgency of his mission woke Link up quickly now. His blue eyes were set straight for his desert: the Gerudo Valley. Despite the dangers that he would encounter there, part of him longed to get there as soon as possible, both to be one step closer to completing his duty and to feel the warm sun. After traveling underground and dealing with nothing but shadows and redeads, he wanted to feel the heat beating down on him once more. Link knew the trip to the valley would be a long one, and he probably wouldn't reach it until sundown, considering he had fallen asleep just outside of Kakariko Village. The Gerudo Valley was located on the other side of Hyrule, and even through the journeys to and fro across Hyrule were taking their toll on him, he knew full well that there were more important matters to tend to beside his own health.

As Epona galloped over the hills, Link found himself lost in thought. He was still surprised at himself, having done so many things he never thought he would've done: time travel, fighting ghosts, and meeting princesses to name a few. His mind pondered over Princess Ruto briefly, who was still hell bent on making him her husband. He shook his head at this, unsure of what to think about the princess and their so-called engagement. However, Link didn't get to wonder about this for much longer, for it was at that moment that he felt a sharp pain in his left arm. He winced in pain and his hands let go of Epona, instinctively reaching for the arrow that was sunk into his arm. His eyes caught site of a few moblins, each carrying bows and spreading out to circle around himself and the horse. Epona, shocked by the enemies and arrows, reared back on her hind legs, sending Link toppling off her back and onto the ground. She galloped away from the scene, leaving Link to fight off the moblins.

Arm aching, Link braced himself before ripping the arrow out. He allowed himself a yelp as he tossed the bloodied arrow aside. Link reached for his sword and threw up his shield, prepared to fight off the moblins.

He scolded himself as he stood and began to slash through the enemies, knowing that if he had been concentrating he could've taken them out with his own bow. His arm stung with every movement of his sword, and he cursed under his breath as he delivered the final blow to the last moblin. When the coast was clear, he dropped his sword and shield and doubled over, feeling the effects of his injuries, which included not only a wounded arm but a twisted ankle; he swore to himself that he would learn how to fall off of horses more gracefully. Thinking of Epona, he glanced around for her, but she was no where in sight.

A heavy sigh escaped from Link's lips in between short, tired breaths. Worn out from a lack of sleep and being caught off guard by the moblins, he swore loudly before collapsing onto the grass. Navi came fluttering by his face once more, this time crying out, "Link! Link! Are you okay?"

Link grimaced and wiped the sweat and dirt off of his face, but he nodded nonetheless. As Navi began to circle his head, a habit she had whenever he stopped on his quest, Link put his head in his hands in frustration. He felt more stressed than he had ever been, and between the near-death experiences and loss of seven years of his life, Link was beginning to feel a little fed up. He thought, briefly, of why he had agreed to saving a kingdom he had never seen, but the thought was evanescent. Navi continued to fly around his head, occasionally piping up with her typical mantra of "Come on, Link!" to get him to hurry. Reluctantly, he stood, and as if she had read his thoughts, Navi exclaimed, "We have to save Princess Zelda, Link!"

Like a wave onto a shore, a memory from seven years ago came crashing into his mind. Suddenly, he was no longer standing in the middle of Hyrule field bruised and bleeding, but instead crouching behind a large green hedge. He was but a young child, clad in his old Kokiri tunic and armed with a simple wooden shield and a small sword. Beads of sweat were rolling down his soft, rounded face as he peaked around the dense leaves, searching for royal guards. As one strode past, Link quickly dashed as fast as his short legs could carry him from behind the hedge and towards he entrance of Hyrule Castle's courtyard. He managed to get past the gates without being spotted, and he sighed a breath of relief. Proud of sneaking around the guards, he walked into the garden fearlessly, but he stopped in his tracks when he saw a girl he assumed was Princess Zelda standing several feet in front of him.

She had her back turned to him, for she was peering in a window into the castle. Link did not think she noticed his presence, but when he took a step forward she spun around quickly to face him. A small, pale hand shot to her rosy mouth, and the biggest, bluest eyes he had ever seen blinked at him in curiosity. Link could feel a flush spread across his cheeks as he gaped back at her; girls in the forest were not as pretty as the one that stood before him. Her blonde eyebrows knitted together in confusion as he stood there staring at her. "How did you get past the guards…?" she asked hesitantly; she had a young seraph's voice. He approached her slowly now, sure that if he got to close she would simply disappear.

The pretty voice of child Zelda was interrupted in Link's mind by the strident one of Navi's. "Link, Zelda needs us! We need to get going!" she cried out urgently. Link nodded quickly, coming back to Earth and present time. He reached into his tunic and produced his ocarina; he called for Epona and she came running down the hill. His mind off his injuries and concentrated once more on his quest, Link climbed onto Epona and dug his heels into her, sending her running off. Navi continued to shout out words of advice as they traveled closer to the Gerudo valley. He didn't say much, though he rarely ever did, and kept steering Epona towards the valley. He tried his best to not lose himself to his thoughts, but somewhere deep inside of him kept pulling him back seven years to that day in the garden.

His young self, not entirely lost, could think only of the sound of Zelda's voice, so honest and sweet and pleading. He hadn't said a word to her, except for his name, and he had felt a rush of butterflies when she said it sounded familiar. He imagined her azure eyes, clear and sparkling, and the touch of her soft skin when she had grabbed his hands to ask for his assistance. Now, Link longed to see the lady she had become, to see the way the light shined on her golden hair and reflected in her gentle eyes. He wanted her to smile at him with her luscious mouth; he yearned to see that her skinny waist flowered into womanly hips and curves. He shook these pleasant thoughts out of his head and they were replaced by ones of fear. Link tightened his grip and pressed Epona onward as he worried for her safety. Determined to get to the desert by sundown now, Link forced himself to pay attention and not think of the princess anymore.

As the sun sank below the horizon, Link drew Epona to a halt. A few hundred yards in front of him, Link could see the grass fading and yellowing, giving way to hot sand. He looked closely into the distance, seeing a large building towering in the sand. He sighed as he gazed at the birthplace of Ganondorf, the Gerudo Valley. In his mind's eye, the young Zelda appeared once again, this time blushing in satisfaction that he had accepted her offer to save Hyrule. As she giggled, Link tapped Epona once more and sent her charging into the Valley, courageous and determined to save the kingdom for the little girl he had left seven years ago.


End file.
